


Gratitude

by clockwork_spider



Series: Varia!Kikyo [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Character Study, Fluff, Gen, somewhat empathetic Squalo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:52:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5407166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clockwork_spider/pseuds/clockwork_spider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's comfort in knowing exactly how each teammate would probably chose to kill you. Kikyo might just do it with politeness and passive-aggression.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gratitude

**Author's Note:**

> Oneshot for the lovely [ayuki-master](http://ayuki-master.tumblr.com/), who requested Kikyo & Squalo centred fic. 
> 
> Takes place in the same universe as Perennial. Shortly after Wine. Kikyo works as the Cloud Guardian of the Varia after Byakuran’s death.

A written moral baseline for becoming a member of Varia is that one have to be perfectly comfortable in killing people. They are an assassin squad, after all.

Thus, it is reasonable that the majority of the group is either psychopathic or insane. He's certain that, if given the right circumstances, the Prince would kill them all and laugh while doing it. Levi, too, was way too happy to find Squalo died during the ring battles. (Luss actually likes everyone, he's strange like that. But it's the reason he's the only one Squalo can trust with actual subordinates.)  
  
Still, there's a security in knowing exactly what type of psychos your team is composed of. 

Kikyo, Squalo figures, is the type that'll slit your throat in your sleep. 

Killing is a very personal act. Every carnage holds a personal touch for the killer. Bel and himself have always been the messier ones. Levi's have always look a bit too rushed, a bit overly eager. Luss's, overly indulgent. 

Kikyo's look like neatness and efficiency and a job well done. There's very little blood, and smells faintly of flowers.   
  
It's unnatural, and it irks Squalo.   
  
The garden too, irks Squalo.   
  
Squalo doesn't know anything about flowers, but he recognizes the reverence Kikyo holds towards them. A grave for his old Family, most likely. It ought to be disrespectful, making a grave for the enemies in their own back yard, but Squalo can not bring himself to object. After all, he had a taste of what it's like to fail your Boss. It sucked.   
  
He know what it's like to give your life to another, to make yourself a piece of someone greater than yourself, and then to have that person ripped away. He remembers all those days he spent, utterly pissed at himself for unable to do anything to stop them from taking Xanxus away. Squalo isn't one for sympathy, but he lost Xanxus for eight years, he can sort of imagine what it's like to lose your Sky permanently.   
  
"Don't touch that one. It's toxic."   
  
Squalo immediately removes his hand from the small red flowers.   
  
That's it. He's cutting them down. This guy is going to poison all their food someday and they won't even know.   
  
"Oleanders, they're useful, you know. One of the subordinate, Charliez?, she uses them quite often."  
  
"Voi! At least put a fucking sign here! What if some of those idiot decides to pick some flowers and die?"   
  
"My apologies," the Cloud smiles unapologetically, "I'll make one right away."  
  
"You better."   
  
The Cloud stares at him with an expectant look. Obviously, Squalo isn’t here to smell the roses.   
  
"So I see your hearing's back. Good. You're making up for your shift for the past few days starting tomorrow."   
  
Kikyo receives the files and the small bottle with a smooth smile.  
  
"Painkillers. Thank you. That's very considerate of you, Commander."   
  
And this practiced politeness, that's another thing about Kikyo that irks Squalo.  
  
"Voi! Don't think I'm doing this out of the charity of my heart. I want you at your top performance on the job! Got that?"  
  
"Understood, Commander."  
  
"Oh, and don't go poking into other people's business. What's between myself and Xanxus is not your problem. The next time, I will let him shoot you in the head, and I will piss on your dead body. You got that?"   
  
"Understood, Commander." Somehow Kikyo must have found that funny, because there's this amused little smile on his face. It's not suppose to be funny, so naturally Squalo punches Kikyo in the jaw. To his surprise, Kikyo staggers.   
  
"What the fuck? You were suppose to dodge that." He catches the Cloud instinctively, then immediately lets go as he takes a step back.   
  
"Apologies, Commander, I guess my orientation's still a bit off." Kikyo motions to his ear. It's probably a lie. Squalo suspects the man took the punch on purpose to either guilt-trip him or prove a point.   
  
Which is kind of fucked up.   
  
Squalo doesn't feel bad. Not at all. It's not his fault the Stupid Boss fired the gun right beside their subordinate's head.  
  
"Well, you're not back on duty until that's fixed. Talk to Lussuria about it. I'll give you one more day," because recovery from petty injuries like these needs a deadline.  
  
"That won't be necessary, I'll be fine by the evening. Thank you for your concern, Commander." Well, at least he's not faking it to skip work. The Cloud guardian smiles and turns to snap several white flowers with long thin petals.   
  
"What are you doing?"   
  
"Trimming," answers Kikyo, holding the flowers towards him, "For you, Commander."  
  
"What is this?" Squalo stares at the offering, without taking it.   
  
"It's Chrysanthemum, often used in tea, non-toxic."  
  
"Why are you giving this to me?" Squalo asks, slightly disturbed. He suddenly have the distinct impression that exchanging flowers may be a perfectly normal form of communication within Millefiore. He wants no part in this.   
  
"Gratitude," Kikyo smiles and shrugs, without lowering the flowers.   
  
"I don't need it," Squalo takes the flowers anyway. They smell nice, and the colour kind of matches his hair.   
  
There's comfort in knowing exactly how each teammate would probably chose to kill you. Kikyo might just do it with politeness and passive-aggression.


End file.
